Will Man City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool reach Champions League knockouts? Predictions, more

The UEFA Champions League league phase is 75 percent done and it’s safe to say the next six weeks will feature an uneasy wait for Manchester City as they bid to win a second European Cup.

City lost again on Wednesday, dropping to 22nd on the Champions League league phase table. Forget the top-8 finish and bye to the knockout round they were expecting, because Pep Guardiola’s men are one point above the elimination line.

[ MORE: UEFA Champions League table ]

The trio of Premier League teams who’ve joined City in this year’s UCL are in a lot better shape. Liverpool’s perfect record and plus-23 goal differential would require a pair of humiliating performances to keep Arne Slot’s unit from an automatic spot in the knockout rounds.

Arsenal and Aston Villa are living in the top 8 and will have little fear of finishing out of the playoff round.

There have been some big surprises in this new format. On the positive side, Ligue 1 upstarts Brest are in a top-8 spot and Lille are also above the line.

But PSG or Man City — more on that — could well miss out on the top 24 and the chance to win a two-legged tie to reach the last 16. And RB Leipzig — a recent mainstay in the competition — is one of three sides to be already eliminated (Slovan Bratislava, BSC Young Boys).

Will Manchester City be eliminated from the Champions League before the knockout rounds?

Remaining league phase matches: at PSG (Jan. 22), vs Club Brugge (Jan. 29)

It’s very possible, especially given the way the four-time defending Premier League champions have played in recent weeks, but remember that City will likely have reinforcements by the time this tournament restarts in January.

Will Liverpool complete a perfect league phase?

Remaining league phase matches: vs Lille (Jan. 21), at PSV Eindhoven (Jan. 29)

Maybe, but will Arne Slot even consider prioritizing his lineup for these final two matches.

Liverpool will not formally qualify prior to kicking off at home against Lille, but should be fine. Both Lille and PSV will be guaranteed to have something big at stake, too.

Will Aston Villa stay in the top eight and earn a bye?

Remaining league phase matches: at Monaco (Jan. 21), vs Celtic (Jan. 29)

It sure looks like it.

One win might be enough Villa, and Unai Emery’s men will be favored to win at Monaco and heavily-favored to top Celtic if needed on the final day.

Will Arsenal stay in the top eight and earn a bye?

Remaining league phase matches: vs Dinamo Zagreb (Jan. 22), at Girona (Jan. 29)

The magic (top) eight-ball says, “It is decidedly so.”

Dinamo Zagreb have been decent but you love Arsenal’s chances to handle their business at home. That could be enough even before their trip to Catalonia to finish the phase at Girona, who just haven’t adjusted to selling Artem Dovbyk, Aleix Garcia, and Pau Victor this summer.

Predicting the final table

We’ve written this much, so we might as well predict the final two rounds of games and how the table will look after Matchday 8.

1. Liverpool — 7-1-0 — 22 points

2. Barcelona — 6-1-1 — 19 points

3. Arsenal — 6-1-1 — 19 points

4. Aston Villa — 6-1-1 — 19 points

5. Inter Milan — 6-1-1 — 19 points

6. Bayern Munich — 6-0-2 — 18 points

7. Borussia Dortmund — 5-1-2 —16 points

8. Atletico Madrid — 5-1-2 — 16 points

9. Lille — 5-1-2 — 16 points

10. AC Milan — 5-1-2 — 16 points

11. Juventus — 4-3-1 — 15 points

12. Bayer Leverkusen — 5-2-1 — 14 points

13. Atalanta — 4-2-2 — 14 points

14. Manchester City — 4-2-3 — 14 points

15. Brest — 4-3-1 — 14 points

16. Sporting Lisbon — 4-2-2 — 14 points

17. Real Madrid — 4-1-3 — 13 points

18. Benfica — 3-3-2 — 12 points

19. Celtic — 3-3-2 — 12 points

20. Stuttgart — 3-2-3 — 11 points

21. AS Monaco — 3-1-4 — 10 points

22. Paris Saint-Germain — 3-1-4 — 10 points

23. Feyenoord — 3-1-4 — 10 points

24. Club Brugge — 3-1-4 — 10 points

25. PSV Eindhoven — 2-3-2 — 9 points

26. Dinamo Zagreb — 2-3-3 — 9 points

27. Shakhtar Donetsk — 1-2-5 — 5 points

28. RB Leipzig — 1-1-6 — 4 points

29. Red Star Belgrade — 1-1-6 — 4 points

30. Sparta Prague — 1-1-6 — 4 points

31. Sturm Graz — 1-0-7 — 3 points

32. Girona — 1-0-7 — 3 points

33. Bologna — 0-3-5 — 3 points

34. Red Bull Salzburg — 1-0-7 — 3 points

35. Young Boys — 1-0-7 — 3 points

36. Slovan Bratislava — 0-0-8 — 0 points